London's underground rail network, the oldest metro system, the Tube has turned 150-years-old.
The first stretch of the world-famous network opened on January 9, 1863, with the first passenger journey taking place the next day. London Underground is planning a series of events to celebrate the milestone year, including a series of additional heritage rail trips using steam trains, two new two-pound coins and a set of 10 special stamps issued by Royal Mail.
ADVERTISEMENT
The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, described the network as ‘arguably the best, and most iconic, underground transport system in the world’.
Since the first stretch of track was opened between Paddington and Farringdon, then known as the Metropolitan Railway, the network has expanded to 12 lines.
It has carried more than 1,107 million passengers a year and served 270 stations, it links central London to Surrey, Kent, Essex, Hertfordshire, Middlesex and Buckinghamshire.
According to the report, the 150th anniversary will also be marked with the publication of a comprehensive new history of the Tube, Underground, How The Tube Shaped London, which is co-authored by Sam Mullins, the director of the LondonTransport Museum.u00a0